Around 350 parliamentarians from across the world convened at the WTO for the annual meeting of the Parliamentary Conference, which is jointly organized by the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament. This is the third time it has been held at the WTO's premises.

The conference focused on the WTO's 20th anniversary. Its main theme was 'Trade as an enabler of peace and better living conditions'. Other panel sessions covered the current WTO negotiations, the WTO and consumers and young people, and the enactment of the Trade Facilitation Agreement.

On 17 February, Director-General Roberto Azevêdo addressed the conference. In his speech, which can be found here, he underlined the importance of parliamentary contribution to multilateral trade discussions. The WTO can hear the voices of the people that it is here to serve by listening to parliamentarians, he said.

DG Azevêdo underlined that the expected benefits of the Trade Facilitation Agreement, which include an estimated gain of up to one trillion US dollars a year and the creation of 21 million jobs worldwide, will only be delivered if the Agreement enters into force. This requires ratification by two-thirds of the WTO membership. He also emphasized that the Declaration on the TRIPS Agreement and Public Health is also awaiting approval by national parliaments. He urged parliamentarians to encourage their respective governments to take action.

DG Azevêdo said that ministers are showing a big increase in the political will to make progress on the Doha Development Agenda. To make best use of this momentum, parliamentarians should keep their respective governments engaged in pursuing the conclusion of the Doha Round.

In their discussions, parliamentarians demonstrated a desire to contribute to making progress on the Doha Development Agenda and ratifying the Trade Facilitation Agreement, and to engaging more actively in the multilateral trade negotiating process. They called for greater inclusion of small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), which represent the majority of economic activity in many countries. They also said that the youth should be involved more in the international trading system.

Participants raised concerns about food security and agricultural subsidies. A number of delegations argued that least-developed countries should be given more policy space to ensure food security. The legislators also discussed the WTO's role in addressing global challenges, such as social and environmental issues.

The conference adjourned with the adoption of an outcome document, which can be found here. The document calls for a prompt ratification of the Trade Facilitation Agreement and a redoubling of efforts to conclude the Doha Round. It also calls for a permanent solution to the issue of public stockholding for food security purposes.

The Parliamentary Conference is evidence of the WTO's continuous engagement with parliamentarians under the WTO's Parliamentary Outreach Programme. In particular, it demonstrates strong cooperation between the WTO and the Inter-Parliamentary Union and the European Parliament.